With Cyril Monnet and Remo Taudien. University of Bern Discussion Paper 25.01, January 2025. PDF. The proposed revision of the Swiss Banking Act introduces a public liquidity backstop (PLB) for distressed systemically important banks (SIBs), in part to facilitate resolution. We examine the impact of the PLB on fiscal balances, societal welfare, and the incentives of bank shareholders and management. A PLB, like too-big-to-fail (TBTF) status, acts as a subsidy for non-convertible...
Read More »“Report by the Parliamentary Investigation Committee on the Conduct of the Authorities in the Context of the Emergency Takeover of Credit Suisse”
The report (in German). From the press release: The Parliamentary Investigation Committee (PInC) attributes the Credit Suisse crisis to years of mismanagement at the bank. It is critical of FINMA’s relaxation of capital requirements and regrets the lack of effectiveness of its banking supervision. The PInC also criticises the hesitant development of the TBTF legislation and identifies shortcomings in the flow of information between authorities. It does not find any misconduct on the part...
Read More »Gold climbing from record high to record high: why buy now?
Share this article Part II of II Business as usual” will simply not cut it anymore. The “print and spend” policies of the past, the QE lifelines, the liquidity injections, the zero and negative interest rates, the blatant debasement of the currency, the market manipulation and all the direct and indirect bailouts will not work as they did before. And it’s not only because the central bankers have overused these “weapons” and have by now exhausted all their...
Read More »Gold climbing from record high to record high: why buy now?
Share this article Part II of II Business as usual” will simply not cut it anymore. The “print and spend” policies of the past, the QE lifelines, the liquidity injections, the zero and negative interest rates, the blatant debasement of the currency, the market manipulation and all the direct and indirect bailouts will not work as they did before. And it’s not only because the central bankers have overused these “weapons” and have by now exhausted all their options – this is a widely...
Read More »Bailey Weighs on Sterling
Overview: The dollar enjoys a firmer tone today. The escalating conflict in the Middle East is keeping the market on edge. And then there is tomorrow's US employment report. Among the G10 currencies, sterling has been the hardest hit. It is off around 1% after Bank of England Governor Bailey seemed to signal that after pausing last month, the central bank may turn more aggressive here in Q4. Nearly all the emerging market currencies are lower. Global equities and...
Read More »The road to Serfdom: are we on the final stretch?
Share this article An attempt at an analysis from the perspective of a free Swiss individual What you’re about to read is the abridged and condensed English translation of a speech I gave in Munich in November 2023. You can find the full speech, in German with English subtitles, here. It tackles the very difficult, but also very crucial, subject of individual freedom, or what is left of it these days, and it seeks to offer a constructive analysis from a Swiss perspective. It is...
Read More »Interview with Executive Global: “The Return of Marxism in the West”
Share this article Our special interview on Swiss Wealth Advisor with CLAUDIO GRASS, CEO and Independent Precious Metals Consultant, explores the manner in which astute investors may preserve wealth against the backdrop of debilitating central economic planning and monetary inflation. Executive Global sit down to discuss macroeconomic trends, precious metals, monetary policy and philosophy with the advisor to affluent institutional and private clients....
Read More »Interview with Executive Global: “The Return of Marxism in the West”
Share this article Our special interview on Swiss Wealth Advisor with CLAUDIO GRASS, CEO and Independent Precious Metals Consultant, explores the manner in which astute investors may preserve wealth against the backdrop of debilitating central economic planning and monetary inflation. Executive Global sit down to discuss macroeconomic trends, precious metals, monetary policy and philosophy with the advisor to affluent institutional and private clients. Executive Global: (EG) We...
Read More »Dollar Recovers from Yesterday’s Slide, but Slumps Against the Yen
Overview: The dollar’s losses scored after yesterday’s disappointing ISM manufacturing report were extended initially in Asia Pacific turnover earlier today before it recovered. The recovery has stretched the intraday momentum indicators, warning against expected strong follow-through dollar buying in North America, without fresh impetus. Amid position adjusting and crosses unwinding, the yen is resisting the dollar’s recovery and is the strongest of the G10...
Read More »A Financial System Built on Bail-Outs?
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece and an accompanying paper and blog post, John Cochrane and Amit Seru argue that vested interests prevent change towards a simpler, better-working financial system. They describe various “bail-outs” since 2020, in the U.S. financial sector and elsewhere. They point out that in Switzerland, too, the government orchestrated takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS relied on taxpayer support. And they conclude that regulatory measures after the great financial...
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